Robert Petkoff of 'Moulin Rouge The Musical' | Exclusive Interview

The Cosmic Curtain

Hello, chickens! And welcome to the Moulin Rouge, a magical place full of wonder and excitement! We're beyond excited for Moulin Rouge the Musical to finally make it to Detroit, as it's one of our favorites! Based on the 2001 Baz Luhrmann musical of the same name, this revamped jukebox musical brings a healthy dose of romance and just as much drama. Moulin Rouge the Musical is spending just about three weeks in Detroit, so ahead of its arrival, we sat down with Robert Petkoff, who stars as Harold Zidler in the show!

In this interview, Petkoff discusses what drew him to this role, what his audition process was like, how he balances the tonally difference aspects of the show, what some of the challenges have been to bringing Harold Zidler to life, and how his background in Shakespearean theater has helped him with his role in Moulin Rouge!

Timestamps for this interview:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:30 - Robert Petkoff talks about his character Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge
• 02:40 - The pop songs featured in Moulin Rouge the Musical
• 04:50 - Seeing it in NYC, an incredibly fun show
• 05:20 - Changes to The Duke's character, movie vs musical
• 06:33 - What sets the musical apart from the movie?
• 09:15 - The casting process
• 15:00 - Petkoff on what drew him to the character?
• 18:25 - Leading those big musical numbers
• 19:40 - Laughter in the performance
• 20:45 - Process to get into character
• 23:14 - Most challenging aspect of the part?
• 26:15 - How has your Shakespearean background helped with this role?
• 28:36 - Shows in one spot vs touring
• 32:20 - Traditions on tour, things to do in different cities
• 27:27 - Outros

For more information, and tickets visit: https://moulinrougemusical.com/us-tour/home/

For the full video interview, visit YouTube @CosmicCircusBroadway

and for more Broadway coverage visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com